Click to train, click for tricks, and click to fix!

Supposing you had a camera and you wanted to take a picture of your dog in action. You might like to try and take a photograph of him doing something cute, carrying a toy or jumping over a hurdle. If you press the shutter a moment too soon or a moment too late you miss that precise moment that you've been watching for.

Clicker Training is about precise moments too. The training tool that we call a "clicker" can capture moments in a dog's behaviour to tell him "That's Right!" This is a more accurate way to train dogs, and it's easier for the dog to understand. Other advantages are that learning is quicker for the dog, no stress is involved and naturally, no punishment is involved.

Most people expect their dogs to understand them and often use correction, to "explain" what is meant. Dogs do of course pick up on our intentions through our body language and they do eventually pick up commands too, even when taught in a haphazard or trial and error basis.

However, the clicker can cross the language barrier of many species - as well as dogs. There is much written about the origins of clicker training and how it works on the dog's brain - but this page is designed to help you get to grips with clicker training without necessarily needing to understand the theory of "classical and operant conditioning" and other scientific data.

Lisa uses"Targeting" to direct Amber over a small hurdle. Targeting is included in clicker training	Val uses"Targeting" to teach Jasmine to weave. Targeting is included in clicker training

If you've ever played the game of "hunt the thimble" you'll remember that you were guided to your goal by the person who knew where the thimble was hidden. Usually the only words that were used to give you information about where the thimble was hidden were: "hotter" and "colder". As you moved around the room, "hotter" meant that you were approaching were the thimble was hidden, and "colder" meant that you were moving away from your goal. I played this game as a child with my two cousins, and of course with only two clues for guidance, we always found the thimble, wherever it was hidden.

We can give our dogs valuable clues about what behaviour will be rewarded and therefore repeated, by using a clicker. And we can "explain" to our dogs that certain behaviours are not required, by withholding the "click".

However, there is some preparation work to do before beginning to "clicker train" your dog. Somehow, it has to be explained to the dog what exactly the sound of the click means. As far as your dog is concerned, it's just a noise, it means nothing. Dogs learn by repetition and association, so you can cash in on that by linking the sound of the clicker with the thought of a tasty food treat - in the dog's mind.

The only other preparation work to be done, and this is probably the hardest part - is that of convincing an owner that clicker training is a great way to train a dog - and that it does work!

Human nature can get in the way and owners often want to manhandle their dogs and correct them when they're wrong. So for some owners, the hard part of learning to clicker train is keeping completely quiet, to begin with at least, until a command word needs to be added. Command words, or "cues" are only added when the behaviour that is being taught is been completely formed and is reliable.

Don't forget that your dog isn't the only one who is learning; you are learning too! If things don't work sometimes, don't blame your dog - it's more likely to be you!

GET STARTED

1. Grab a clicker and some small, tasty food treats. Hold the clicker in one hand, and dispense treats with the other. It's a good idea to learn to click and treat with either hand equally well.Make sure that you are in a room with no distractions to begin with, and close the door so that your dog can't wander away.

2. Click the clicker once (in /out) and give your dog one of the treats.Don't say anything or give any commands, your dog doesn't have to do anything at this stage to "earn" the treat

3. Repeat this "click and treat" for four or five times in succession.

4. Pause, and wait for your dog to loose a little interest. Maybe he will look away, for a moment.

5. You're going to click whilst your dog is looking away, so see if he responds when you click. But you're still going to follow the click with a treat, whatever happens, to teach your dog that a prize will always follow a click.

Once a dog understand that "click" means "yes, that's right" training just gets better and better! To book an appointment for some clicker training or to make enquiries about clicker classes please email:

Debbie@positivedogs.co.uk

If emailing, please include your name, address, and telephone number.